As you may have heard, Leona Helmsley passed away last week at 87. You may remember her as the billionaire hotel baron who was nick-named The Queen of Mean during the 80's.
Leona was pompous in life and she has proved to be pompous in death as well. Her 14 page will was filed yesterday in Surrogate Court and it contained some surprises! It's estimated that the Helmsley estate is worth over $4 billion. And where will the money go?
$12 million is to be put in a trust for the care of her beloved 8-year-old white Maltese dog, Trouble. How much can it possibly cost to take care of a dog! Leona instructed that Trouble's remains be buried next to her remains in the Helmsley mausoleum.
And the mausoleum? Leona ordered that the mausoleum must be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year." She left behind $3 million for the upkeep of her final resting place in Westchester County. The ornate granite mausoleum boasts 1,300 square feet, with a dozen Doric columns and stained glass windows recreating the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building, once the crown jewel of the Helmsley properties. It's reported that the mausoleum was built for $1.4 million!
The construction of the mausoleum is a story unto itself. Harry Helmsley, Leona's husband came to Sleepy Hollow last year after Leona engaged in an ugly battle with Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where the real estate magnate was originally buried in 1997. The expansive family mausoleum there was memorably described as a "tomb with a view."
But the vista disappeared when a public mausoleum went up nearby three years ago. An irate Leona called the new construction "a disgrace," and resolved to relocate the remains of her husband. She purchased a piece of land in Sleepy Hollow to construct a new mausoleum and quickly alienated her husband's new, living neighbors. In typical take-no-prisoners style, a wooded section of the cemetery was stripped clean of trees in summer 2005.
The new construction lacked permits, and village officials quickly shut down the project."We tried to be amenable," Mr. Zegarelli said. "There are still procedures to go through, whether you're dead or alive - no offense, but it still has to be done."
The two sides worked out their differences - fines were paid, donations were made by the Helmsley group to repair some of the damage. And then last August, the mausoleum was approved for the reinterment. All this fuss over the remains of the dead.
And the living? The will left millions of dollars to two of her grandchildren. And the remaining two grandchildren received nothing, for "reasons that are known to them," she wrote.
It's been said that your legacy consists of the stories people tell about you once you are gone. Make no mistake about it, Leona Helmsley left a lot of stories and an unforgetable legacy. Unfortunately, the stories people tell will be stories shaped by ambition, ego and power.
It's good to remember that we all leave stories behind. Our legacy is being formed by the choices we make each day. What stories will people recall about my life? It's my desire to leave a legacy that will inspire those around me. I want to leave a legacy that is rich toward God and the people I love. I want to leave a legacy rich in good works.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 1 Timothy 6:17-18
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